Packaging Gifts – Presentation for the WOW Effect

When you create creams, lotions, and other spa creations as gifts or products to sell, presentation matters a lot for your products perceived value. For example, the difference between restaurants that charges $15 for a dinner versus the ones that charges $100 for a dinner may be the quality of the food, but more often than not it’s the way the meal is presented and the atmosphere surrounding.

Color, shape and label are three factors to think about when you are preparing to present someone with a gift or a prospective customer with one of your spa creations.

Color

Though the cream, lotion etc. may actually be white or cream colored, the addition of color if you are using clear containers is really important to the product’s appeal. A nice lavender color for your lavender creams and lotions works well. A rose pink color for those spa products scented with rose is perfect. If you use peppermint essential oil, a pastel green is lovely whereas a deeper green works for cedarwood essential oil. When in doubt, look at pictures of the plant used in your creation and try and match that color.

Many spa creations call for the use of colored bottles to protect the integrity of the ingredients. Though you can purchase a bottle of any color, the most common and least expensive are the brown and blue bottles. Blue bottles have the bigger appeal, particularly since many prescription medications are packaged in brown bottles. My goal in presenting a spa product is to represent beauty, not the need for medicine.

That said, the color of the bottle can be muted with the right label. It’s fine to slap a cheap label on a spa creation you are making for yourself, but take care with the labels you use when you present a gift or to a potential customer. Manufacturers of spa products and cosmetics spend thousands of dollars on creating the perfect label for their line. To get ideas for your labels, you can capitalize on their research as to what colors work well. This also includes the color and type of font used as well as images. If you need help, there are designers that can lend you a hand for a fee. There is also some pretty good label designing software you can use. A good one is Label Designer Plus Delux.

Shape

The shape of the container for your spa creation can make the difference between a “wow” and an “oh, that’s nice.” Of course, bottles with unique shapes are going to cost you more. This is not quite so important when you are making gifts, but it can definitely give you the marketing edge when you are selling products, particularly when you are selling in a highly competitive market. Just a little marketing note here for those of you in the spa product business, don’t try to sell on price. You will fail. Sell on quality and presentation, but keep in mind you have lots of competition if you sell on quality alone, particularly if you are trying to move product beyond your local area.

Other considerations

Spa products often come in boxes. A plain cardboard box is fine for some things, but not spa products. White is fine, colored is better. Consider the weight of the box too. If you are shipping a gift, the box should allow space for packing material, so your creations don’t get damaged as they are tossed about in the shipping process. Fine cut shreds make attractive padding for your creations. They make a wonderful color backdrop for your creations while making them safe for travel. Wood shred also works well for some products giving the warm appearance of a nest.

Some of your creations may work best if presented in attractive bags. Just look at the many beautiful colors of organza bags and you’ll know what I mean. If you want to check out presentation options open to you, go to papermart.com.

So, whether you are creating something wonderful for a friend or a customer, present your creations in ways that will create the “WOW!” effect.